Tensional sound-board



(No Model.)

0. S. WEBER.

TENSIONAL SOUND BOARD.

No. 402,496. Patented Apr. 30, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. VEBER, OF SAN JOSFI, CALIFORNIA.

TENSIONAL SOUND-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,496, dated April30, 1889.

Application filed March 3, 1887, Serial No. 229,555. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. EBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Jos, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTensional Sound- Boards 3 and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to sound-boards for musical instruments,principally'for pianos and other analogous stringed instruments.

The improvements consist in having the ordinary sound-board put undertension in the direct-ion of the length of its fibers, which is found toincrease the sonority of the same to an eminent degree. As itis adesideratum to have the sound-board made of as thin material aspossible, a number of such soundboards may be arranged in a pile oneabove each other, in case one is not sufficient to withstand thepressure of the strin By having the sound-board under tension thepressure of the strings is sustained without the help of the bridge-pinsor any other contrivance.

The improvements consist in the novel features presently to be describedand claimed, and shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 adetail side view of a musical instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a modified form.

Referring to Fig. 1, D is the frame, between which the sound-board A issupported and the strings C strung. The strings extend over the bridge Gand are secured at one end to the frame by the hitch-pin I and at theopposite end by the turning-pin E. The agraffe F and hammer ll are ofordinary construction and operation.

The gist of the invention is in having the sound-board under tension inthe direction of the length of its fibers, and for accomplishing thisresult the sou nd-board is adj ust. bly supported between the frame, sothat any slack may be taken up.

The clamps B, which connect the soundboard and frame, are bifurcated attheir outer ends and embrace the edges of the soundboard, to which theyare secured by the bolts 1). One of the clamps has the threaded shank 1/extended through the frame and provided on its outer end with the nut c,by which the tension on the sound-board can be regulated. There may beas many of the clamps as oocasion may require, or each clamp may extendthe whole length of the sound-board from side to side along each end,and may have as many threaded shanks as desired.

The ends of the sound-board are thickened and the arms of the clampcorrespondingly converge, as shown,which renders more certain thebinding between the clamp and board.

Fig. 2 shows the ordinary sound-board, J, re-enforced by the sound-boardK, mounted by my improved method.

Having th us described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with the frame and the sound-board, of the clampsadjustably connecting the sound-board with the frame, whereby the lineartension upon the fibers composing the sound-board can be varied,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the frame and the sound-board having its endsthickened, as shown, of the clamps having bifurcated ends conforming toand embracing the thickened ends of the boards, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with the frame and the sound-board having thickenedends, of the clamp fitted to the thickened ends, and the threaded shankpassed through the frame, and the nut mounted upon the threaded end,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- CHARLES S. XVEBER.

\Vitnesses:

H. J. ALEXANDER, J. E. FIsHEn,

